1. Comprehension Toolkit Making predictions Making predictions

2. Comprehension Toolkit Making predictions Comprehension means understanding. The best way to understand a text is to ask yourself questions as you read it. The answers to some questions are easy to find, while the answers to others are more difficult to work out.

3. Comprehension Toolkit Making predictions There’s a saying that you “shouldn’t judge a book by its cover”, but people often buy books because they simply look like they’ll be good to read. The first predictions we make about a book are based on its cover. Read me! I’m not as boring as I look.

4. Comprehension Toolkit Making predictions What predictions can you make about this book, based on its title and cover illustration? It’s about a dog. The dog’s name is Titus. Titus is a champion jumper. Titus takes part in a competition. It’s a funny story.

5. Comprehension Toolkit Making predictions Once you start reading a book, you can draw on what you already know about the characters and situations to predict what will happen next in the story. • Imagine that Ryan has shown throughout a story that he doesn’t like taking chances. What is he most likely to do in a skateboarding competition when faced with this choice? • He can be sure of coming in the top 10 by performing tricks he is familiar with or • He could try some radical new moves and win the competition … or crash out!

6. Comprehension Toolkit Making predictions From what we know of Ryan’s character, you could predict that he will not take chances and only perform the tricks he is familiar with. But as you read, you might find that Ryan acts “out of character” and decides to try his radical new moves. This adds a new element to Ryan’s character and forces us to change our opinion of him.

7. Comprehension Toolkit Making predictions One way of tracking a character’s development isby recording how you think they will act, and comparing it to how they do act. Also record your feelings and opinions about their behaviour. Predictions about Ryan: page 26. Ryan doesn’t like taking chances. I think he will choose the safe option. Right or wrong? Ryan surprised me! He is going to take the risk after all. He is a more complex and interesting character than I first thought.

8. Comprehension Toolkit Making predictions The End